South Korea: A Familiar Premier

By CHOE SANG-HUN

June 26, 2014

President Park Geun-hye reversed her decision to replace her current prime minister, after two successive appointees stepped aside amid controversies over their qualifications. Prime Minister Chung Hong-won had offered to resign in late April, as the government came under fire for failing to prevent the sinking of a ferry on April 16 that left more than 300 people dead. Ms. Park accepted his resignation but asked him to stay in office while she looked for a replacement. But her first choice, a former Supreme Court justice named Ahn Dae-hee, was forced to withdraw his name amid questions over his earnings. Her second choice, Moon Chang-keuk, a retired conservative newspaper columnist, bowed out on Tuesday. Critics accused him of being unpatriotic after it was revealed that he said during a church lecture in 2011 that Korea’s colonization by Japan in the early 20th century was “God’s will.” This was the first time in South Korean history that a president retained a prime minister who had resigned.